Well, nevermind. I'm sillier than I thought. Upon opening the file, Super NoteTab gave me the binary warning. Guess I'll ask, then. Here's a game, of sorts. Tired of Rec.guns yet? I'm not. ;-)
     You know, that's a problem. Most of my friends, pretty much in [dw] but most definitely in my church, are rather liberal. Well, so am I, however, I like guns. And the Second Amendment is rather important to me. And while I advocate common sense gun laws, we already have gun laws that are poorly enforced. It seems we should make what laws we have work for us before making more. And it makes me crazy when officials go overboard, and push things too far, so that people in law enforcement and in professions directly related to law enforcement, who are in danger of retaliation strikes, can't have firearms. There's more I could say about that, but it violates discretion.
     But I don't like to get into heated and convoluted arguments either. Most of the time I keep a low profile on these opinions, but it rankles. I feel like I am back in the closet again, only it's not about sexuality. My god, of all people who should voice an opinion one way or another about gun control, people in my family should. In a way, my father is. He's completely lost interest in hunting and riflery.
     It's not a simple matter, though. I want a world where arming yourself isn't necessary, ever. My mother had to arm herself at one point; I remember this very clearly. Have you ever been stalked by a maniac, someone with a role in local law enforcement, someone in a rage that his wife and stepchildren dare leave him, someone paranoically certain of his having become a laughingstock in his hometown because he can't keep his woman under control? It really didn't seem like we'd last a week. What I do not recall is whether I ever told my dad about this. It was all about being brave and trusting in god in those days. My mom was terrified, and yet very brave.
     Just realized there could be perceived a contradiction. Up at the top I wanted law enforcement types to be able to carry, and down here, talking about my former stepfather, happen to note his status as a deputized volunteer as well as armed madman. For every one of him, I worry about the hundreds of sane defenders who would be at risk if not allowed to carry. His involvement with law enforcement is important because his buddy network prevented my mom from being able to get the kind of help she needed, such as a restraining order, for instance. Sound crazy? I hate that town. To this day. Stuff like that still goes on in places.

     I have always been a moderate, with moderate friends, but now it seems that either I am becoming more conservative, or most of my friends are becoming more liberal. How can you tell about a thing like that?